Why were 40 dead pigeons placed along the middle of a road?

More than 40 dead pigeons have been placed along the white lines in the middle of a road in Devon.

Police are investigating the "bizarre" incident after dozens of dead pigeons were left abandoned on Wednesday.

A member of the public alerted police that the remains of the pigeons had been placed in a line along the markings in the centre of the A35 near Honiton, Devon.

We have found over 40 dead pigeons in the area and they appear to have been deliberately placed in the road for quite some distance, a few hundred yards apart from each other.PCSO Steve Mingo, of Devon and Cornwall Police

Pigeon fanciers in the area are being asked if their birds are missing.

PCSO Steve Mingo, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said: "We have found over 40 dead pigeons in the area and they appear to have been deliberately placed in the road for quite some distance, a few hundred yards apart from each other.

"Nearby we have also found a discarded animal feed bag, which we believe was used to transport these dead birds, and a large amount of feathers.

More than 40 dead pigeons left in the road in Devon.Credit:
Devon and Cornwall Police /Devon and Cornwall Police

"We are appealing for witnesses and would like to hear from anyone who saw anything strange in the area this morning, or any commuter who spotted these birds on the road, to help us narrow down the time of the incident, although we do believe it took place overnight.

"We are also asking for any pigeon fanciers in the area to check their flock to make sure all are accounted for. If you have anybirds missing, please get in touch."

He later tweeted that it was the most "bizarre" incident he had ever attended, he wrote: "Attended most bizarre job of my career to date. 40+ dead pigeons carefully placed along white lines in road."

Last year 16 dead pigeons were found in a box in a park in Southall, London.